Authorities Investigate Kennewick Arson and Burglary

KENNEWICK, Wash. - Kennewick Fire department and Police are trying to piece together what happened at a wrecking yard on South Gum Street early Friday morning.

The Fire Department said the inside of the Auto Scraps building was ransacked and a fire was started in a back bathroom.

Authorities report that the suspects stole items from the office and broke candy machines.

Leslie Lovejoy is the owner's daughter. She said the guard dog is kept inside the building, but was found outside when authorities arrived.

The fire department and police responded to the fire just before one o'clock Friday morning after a neighbor saw smoke and called 9-1-1.

Auto Scraps transports abandoned vehicles and the building is currently used as an office.

The owner has tried to sell it for two years.

Lovejoy said her family is devastated. She said, "This is what keeps my family going. It's just not right, so yeah it makes me angry."

Kennewick Fire Marshall Mark Yaden said a quick response from firefighters prevented the blaze from getting out of control, "within a few minutes, if it would have kept going at the rate that it was, it would have been a very different story."

It is a joint investigation between the police and fire department. The fire department said evidence has been sent to the state crime lab.

Police are working on a number of leads, but there are still many unanswered questions.

Authorities asked anyone with information to contact either the police department or fire department. Auto scraps said they would operate as normal despite the fire.